Anterior ischemic optic neuropathy of the young.

Anterior ischemic optic neuropathy is a well-recognized syndrome usually occurring in an older adult population. It is unusual for these patients to experience a second attack in an eye already affected. We describe three young patients with anterior ischemic optic neuropathy who have experienced repeat attacks in one or both eyes, leaving the patients severely disabled, without evidence of other ocular or systemic disease. We believe they may represent a new, but rare, syndrome.